One level.
Two levels.
Three levels.
With every level he broke through, that warmth burned through his meridians, leaving him feeling wonderfully comfortable and swollen. He wanted nothing more than to let out a hearty shout.
Deep in his consciousness, his Martial Soul was also quietly changing.
The once-wilted Blue Silver Grass looked as though it had drunk its fill of water. Its leaves gradually unfurled, and their malnourished pale green slowly deepened.
Tiny golden markings began to appear on the blades.
They were faint and pale, as if someone had lightly dusted them with gold powder.
Yet those golden markings transformed the bearing of the entire Blue Silver Grass plant.
Even Tang Wulin was stunned.
He looked inward at his Martial Soul, staring at the golden markings that appeared and disappeared on its leaves. For a long while, he couldn't come to his senses.
The gold reminded him of the golden scales that had grown on his hand during special training.
That was the power of the Golden Dragon Claw.
Were these golden markings and that dragon claw the same thing?
Could there really be some extraordinary bloodline hidden inside me?
The more he thought about it, the more incredible it seemed. Yet that warm power was so real that he could hardly bring himself to doubt it.
In truth, however, this was only because the thousand-year Blue Silver King Soul Bone had stimulated the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline contained within Tang Wulin's body. Those golden markings were merely the first signs of that bloodline manifesting.
Tang Wulin didn't dare let up. He gritted his teeth and steadied his mind, letting the torrent wash through his meridians again and again.
With every level he broke through, he felt one step closer to being "powerful."
An hour passed just like that.
In the bedroom, Tang Wulin slowly opened his eyes.
He looked down at his hands, then felt the Soul Power within him. He was completely dumbstruck.
Level 16.
He had been level 13. Now he was level 16.
He had broken through three levels in a row.
And his Martial Soul really had changed.
The Blue Silver Grass was no longer that wilted plant. Golden markings had appeared on its blades, and though they were faint, its vitality was many times more vigorous than before.
Its quality had undeniably risen a whole grade.
Tang Wulin's eyes lit up at once.
Everything Master said was true.
I really can get stronger.
He clenched his fists, the fire in his heart burning brighter than ever.
He couldn't resist circulating his Soul Power again. As he felt it rushing merrily through his meridians, more than a full measure stronger than before, his grin nearly stretched to his ears.
Level 16. He had never dared dream that one day he could break through three levels in one go.
Meanwhile, in the living room just outside the bedroom, Qing Linyun had also just opened his eyes.
A faint purple light now shimmered over his right hand, and a trace of searing heat radiated from his palm bone.
The past hour hadn't been easy for him, either.
The fusion process for the 400,000-year Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon Right Palm Bone had been far more overbearing than he had imagined.
The instant the Soul Bone entered his body, he felt as though his right palm had been forcibly snapped apart and shoved into a mass of scorching magma.
The sound of bones shattering rang dully inside his body.
Just as the original story had said, absorbing an External Soul Bone was essentially the reshaping of a body part.
He could feel the shattered bones slowly regrowing, wrapped in Purple Brilliant Dragon Flame, intertwining and fusing with the newly absorbed Soul Bone until they were indistinguishable from one another.
It was the mingling of bone with bone, the merging of blood with blood.
Anyone else would probably have fainted from the pain on the spot.
But Qing Linyun had gritted his teeth and endured it.
Steadfastness was the one thing he had never lacked.
The moment the fusion ended, he slowly clenched his fist.
Crack, crack.
His knuckles gave a series of crisp pops.
An aura of destruction far greater than before surged from his palm, brightening his eyes.
Well, damn.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
This 400,000-year Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon really is good stuff.
If Dark Hummingbird came at me again, this one Soul Skill would probably be enough to leave him biting off more than he could chew.
He took stock of his two new Soul Skills.
The first was Rule the World.
A single-target attack with astonishing explosive power, it put everything into one strike-enough to give anyone a taste of suffering.
The second was Purple Brilliant Dragon Flame.
An area attack: once its destruction-attribute dragon flame spread, not a blade of grass would survive for dozens of kilometers around.
One struck a single target, the other covered an area; one was fierce, the other ruthless. Paired with his Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's unreasonable Soul Skills, they were like wings added to a tiger.
What concerned him most, however, was the change in his Soul Power.
He could clearly feel the new power of destruction spreading through the meridians in his right arm and into the rest of his body, merging seamlessly with the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Power.
Level 75.
He had originally been stuck at the threshold of a level 75 Soul Saint. With this 400,000-year Soul Bone, his Soul Power had shot up all the way to level 78.
He was now only one step away from becoming a level 80 Soul Douluo.
At this rate, breaking through to level 80 is just around the corner.
When that happens, I'll finally have the means to establish a foothold.
Looks like I need to hurry Ye Lingling and the others along again. The Three-Word Battle Armor still hasn't been designed. I'm the dignified boss of the Heaven-Supporting Pillar and nearly an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, yet I'm still wearing Two-Word Battle Armor. What kind of nonsense is that?
He put those thoughts aside and looked toward the bedroom.
Through the crack in the door, Tang Wulin could be seen sitting cross-legged on the bed, his eyes shining and his excitement plain on his face.
Their eyes met.
"Finished absorbing it?" Qing Linyun asked.
"Yes!" Tang Wulin nodded emphatically, his voice brimming with barely restrained excitement. "Master! I'm level 16! My Martial Soul evolved, too! Golden markings appeared on the blades!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his words coming faster. Like a child with a new toy, he couldn't wait to pour out every detail to his master.
Qing Linyun was quite satisfied to see him like this.
Level 16, three breakthroughs in a row. Not bad.
Good. But those golden markings don't have the presence of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline. Looks like the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline in his body has awakened.
"All right, I heard you."
He waved a hand.
"Go back and consolidate your gains. Don't be too quick to celebrate. You still have a long road ahead."
"Later, I'll teach you a couple of ways to use your Blue Silver Grass. Now that your Martial Soul has evolved, you'll need to change the way you fight, too."
"And pay attention: you'll need to change your cultivation system from now on as well. I'll need to review the direction you take when choosing your future Soul Rings."
"Yes, Master!"
Though Tang Wulin was puzzled, he readily agreed.
Tang Wulin rose and bowed properly to Qing Linyun once more.
This bow was even more sincere than the ones he had given earlier.
As he left the dormitory, he looked back. The figure leaning against the back of the chair waved at him.
Master.
He repeated the word in his heart, saying it with particular solemnity.
Rest assured, I won't let you down.
By the time he stepped out of the dormitory building, the sun was already overhead.
He stopped by the roadside and looked down at his hands, then looked up at the faculty dormitory building in the distance and murmured a word.
"Master."
After saying it, he felt a little embarrassed. He glanced around and, seeing that no one had noticed, straightened his back and strode toward the classroom.
The door closed behind him.
Qing Linyun leaned back in his chair and flexed his right hand. Feeling that new power, he let the corners of his mouth rise slightly.
One Soul Bone got me a disciple and two Soul Skills for free. Sweet.
He flexed his right hand again. The searing power of dragon flame rested docilely in his palm bone, ready at his call.
Level 78.
He felt the Soul Power within him and calculated inwardly.
He was just one final step away from becoming a level 80 Soul Douluo.
As for Tang Wulin's future cultivation, Qing Linyun planned to guide him toward the Support System, taking the life and healing route.